The Kenton County Planning Commission and its NKAPC staff are engaged in an 18-month planning effort designated Direction 2030: Your Voice. Your Choice. The final product will be a new comprehensive plan that will guide development in Kenton County over the next 20 years. Direction 2030 provides the framework within which citizens may voice their thoughts and hopes for the future of Kenton County.
The Direction 2030 planning effort began in October 2011 with a series of four public input meetings. Generational trends and preferences were used as a theme for this first round of meetings. In this round the intent was to ascertain from participants how they view the existing community in relation to their lifestyle/generation and begin conversations about future needs to use as the preparation of the plan moves into Round 2. The 2010 Census revealed that the population of Kenton County was basically divided into four generations. Further research on these generations based on national trends showed the need to have a community conversation regarding the needs and preferences of each generation.
Meetings were held at various locations throughout the county to get the perspective of people in different community types; urban; older suburban; newer suburban; and rural. Each meeting was held in a similar format. The meetings started with a short introduction into the purpose and intent of the planning effort, after which the attendees completed survey questions by using a remote keypad system. Upon completing these questions a short presentation on generations was given by NKAPC staff. The final part of the meeting included small group discussions which allowed meeting attendees to reflect on the information that was provided.
Over 200 citizens attended and participated in the public meetings; providing their thoughts on Kenton County today and what they would like to see in the future. While some subtle differences were noted in the responses from attendees based on the meeting location, common themes arose that will be used to prepare for the second round of public meetings. The second and third round of meetings will result in the preparation of County-wide goals and objectives.
The next section outlines major comments that were heard multiple times during the course of the first round of public meetings
Employment: In a keypad question meeting attendees were asked what needed the most improvement locally amongst shops and amenities; outdoor recreation; employment/jobs; housing options and education. The overwhelming majority of respondents stated jobs (55 percent) as the most important. The desire for better employment was also articulated in the small group discussions. At almost every meeting there was a strong concern regarding good jobs for the youth so they would not leave the area.
Mobility/Connectivity: Transportation issues arose in several forms (mass transit, safety, alternate modes) across each locale. People indicated a desire for a more comprehensive transit system that includes more stops, direct access, and more park and ride facilities, particularly in southern Kenton County. A desire for alternate modes of transportation, specifically walking and biking was expressed. Keypad responses indicate that close to 90 percent of meeting attendees use the automobile as their principle means of transportation. Just over 50 percent of the attendees said they would use alternative modes of transportation such as bus, biking or walking if services were improved. Also, more respondents than not said the county should prepare for a non-automobile economy; 40 percent in favor, 36 percent opposed.
Walkable Communities: Several discussions addressed the topics of walkable communities and mixed use. Specifically respondents discussed the need for more amenities closer to their homes. They reported that today there are few middle income walkable communities near amenities stating the need to be closer to hospitals and other health care related uses. They also indicated that as the population ages the need to be close to these amenities will be even more important.
The Urban Core: In two of the four meetings the attendees stated that the urban core was not strong enough to attract or keep the younger generation. In another meeting the attendees thought that Covington and specifically the river front needed to be revitalized. This concern is tied into the concern many attendees had on retaining the younger generation in this area.
Retention of Youth/Future Labor Force: Another topic that transcended several issues was that of retaining youth within the area. Respondents were concerned that our current urban areas lack the amenities (night life, mass transit, and housing choices) to retain younger residents. Comments were also received in the southern Kenton County meeting that the urban core should be revitalized before expanding into rural areas for development. Respondents had a real concern about youth moving to other cities for jobs and stressed the importance of creating more desirable jobs in our area to retain these young professionals.
Keypad responses show that the issue of jobs and retaining the area’s youth is related to education. Comments from the discussion questions along with the keypad responses indicate a strong desire for good schools.
Several other topics were discussed but did not provide conclusive community vision and will need to be explored in the next round of meetings. Thoughts on open/green space, parks, and recreation were inconclusive. Some respondents wanted more parks and reported that a lot of good parkland had already been lost to development. Others reported that there was enough park and open land already. Responses from southern Kenton County showed that some people in the area viewed their own larger parcels as their green space and would rather see open areas be reserved for the urban areas in the northern end of the county. While the open ended responses showed significant variation, keypad responses showed a mixed opinion. Close to 50 percent were satisfied with the recreational opportunities in the county. However, when asked what types of recreational opportunities they would like to add close to 60 percent found amenities they wanted increased.
In group discussions, respondents indicated there were a moderate interest in housing affordability and some interest in smaller homes as lifestyles change. Some reported a desire for smaller ranch houses as they grew older so they could age in place. Others suggested having more affordable options for youth. While these points were recorded in the group discussion segment of the meetings, keypad responses indicate the majority are satisfied with their housing options. More respondents than not think communities have a responsibility to provide workforce housing; 48 percent in favor and 44 percent against.
One last topic that should be noted applies specifically to southern Kenton County. Respondents indicated a strong desire to keep southern Kenton County rural by focusing on agriculture. Respondents also discussed the need for better infrastructure at several tables including roads, water, natural gas, sewer service, and telecommunications. If these two elements continue to be expressed as a strong desire by southern Kenton county residents, existing land use policies will have to be explored moving forward that would allow for infrastructure improvements while keeping the area rural at the same time.
During the course of the meetings differing viewpoints were expressed by individuals desiring less planning in Kenton County. Comments made included – planning is not necessary at all so why is the Direction 2030 process taking place; taxes are too high and are not being spent appropriately; concerns about government entities taking property through eminent domain; and individuals should have more or total control of their property and let the market drive development.
The aforementioned points were clearly heard and duly recorded. It should be noted, however, that 1) a majority of attendees at the meetings wanted to look ahead and make Kenton County a better place, and 2) that comprehensive planning is required by state law, specifically Kentucky Revised Statute 100.183. The legislature charges each community to “prepare a comprehensive plan, which shall serve as a guide for public and private actions and decisions to assure the development of public and private property.” The comprehensive plan process requires us to think ahead to improve Kenton County and work to address the challenges of an ever-changing marketplace.
There were several segments of the Kenton County population that were either under represented or not represented during the first round of public meetings. Smaller group meetings will be held with those groups such as the younger generation including high school children and young professionals and also minority groups. Subsequent to these meetings, the input received from all meetings in this first round will be used as the basis for the second round of public meetings which are anticipated to start in late March 2012. The expertise of a market place assessment has been sought to provide assistance in creating a plan that can adapt to a changing marketplace. The second round of meetings will focus on furthering the conversation about community needs while understanding the direction of the marketplace.
